1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to golf equipment and more particularly to a lightweight golf bag with extensible support stand.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Golf clubs have been stored, carried and otherwise transported in especially designed bags for many years. Most golf bags are in the form of a tubular fabric container which is about three feet long and of generally cylindrical configuration with a closed bottom end and open top throat through which golf clubs are inserted into and removed from the bag. Also, golf bags usually include one or more pockets for carrying golf bags, tees and the like, and a handle and shoulder strap are provided to facilitate carrying of the bag.
Although golf bags are manufactured in a variety of sizes and materials so as to better suit various intended uses and to satisfy personal preferences, they are conventionally grouped into two basic classes. The first of these two basic classes includes the relatively large and heavy bags which are not very well suited for carrying by the golfer while playing. The second basic class of golf club bags are generally smaller and lighter than the first type and are designed to be carried by the golfer.
The first class of golf bags are usually from about 9 to 12 inches in diameter and are fabricated of a relatively heavy and stiff material such as leather and synthetic leather. In addition, reinforcing materials such as metal straps, wire frames or the like are incorporated as integral parts of the bags so that they are rigid self-supporting structures. due to the configuration and physical size, the larger diameter bags of this first class are very rarely carried by the golfer during his or her playing of the game. Instead, these bags are usually transported on a pull cart, motorized cart or are carried for the golfer by a caddie. The smaller diameter golf bags of this first class, such as those having diameters of 9 or 10 inches, are constructed in the same basic manner but are considerably less bulky and, of course, weight less. Due to the reduction in bulk and weight, some golfers elect to carry these smaller diameter bags while playing and others carry them on carts or use caddies in the same manner as the larger bags.
The second classification of golf bags are generally smaller and considerably lighter than those of the first class and are especially configured to facilitate carrying by the golfer during play. These bags, which are often referred to in the art as "carry bags", are fabricated of light weight materials such as synthetic resin so that the various components such as the molded ring-shaped throat structure and the bottom closure are of minimal weight. The largest weight reduction is accomplished by replacing the leather or synthetic leather tubular body of the larger and heavier bags with a light weight fabric such as nylon in the carry bags, and eliminating metal straps, wire frames and/or other integral reinforcing structures. By using the lightweight fabric and doing away with the integral reinforcing structures, carry bags are not self-supporting in the same sense as the first class of golf bags and are considered as being collapsible structures. The needed rigidity is derived from a removable support which is disposed within the bore of the fabric tubular body so as to extend between the throat and bottom closure components of the bag. In one type of carry bag, the removable support is in the form, of a wooden dowel which is carried in a fabric sleeve which is sewn into the fabric body so as to extend between the bottom closure and the top throat of the bag. In another type of carry bag shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,854, the support includes a shaft which is axially disposed in the tubular body. A base is carried on the lower end of the shaft for supporting the shaft in its axial position in the bottom closure and a upper brace is provided for a similar purpose and for dividing the throat structure into plural club segregating areas.
Although many golfers who walk and carry their clubs themselves do so for the exercise, many of them dislike the repeated bending over whenever the golf bag they are carrying must be set down or picked up during the course of play. Further, most golfers dislike setting their golf bags and clubs down in wet grass or dirt. For these reasons, extensible bag stands have been devised for supporting golf bags in a substantially upright position whenever a golfer sets the bag down.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,282,842 which issued on May 12, 1942 to H. Q. Abell, shows an early attempt at providing an extensible stand that will prop up a golf bag so as to eliminate the repeated bending over and other undesirable aspects of the above described problem. This particular extensible stand includes cables, pull levers, springs and the like, all of which are built into the golf bag with the bag being especially configured to house and interact with the stand mechanism. As a result, this prior art combination golf bag with extensible stand is a relatively complex structure which is expensive and difficult to manufacture.
A widely used and well known extensible golf bag stand has been devised for demountable attachment to the side of golf bags, and a stand of this type is shown and described in the hereinbefore referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,854. As shown, extensible stands of this sort include an elongated tubular rod which extends the full length of the golf bag and has arcuate saddle members at its top and bottom ends. The saddle members are configured and positioned to engage the ring-shaped throat and bottom closure of the golf bag and suitable straps are employed to demountably attach the saddles and thus the tubular rod, to the side of the golf bag. An extensible leg assembly is pivotably mounted on the tubular rod for movement between a retracted position in which the leg assembly is disposed when the bag is being carried, and an extended position in which the leg assembly is disposed whenever the bag is being supported in a propped up attitude by the bag stand. An especially configured actuator rod is connected to the leg assembly and is movably carried in a retainer provided on the arcuate saddle located on the bottom end of the tubular rod. The actuator rod has a lower end which normally extends below the bottom of the bag so as to automatically produce a generally upward sliding movement of the actuator rod relative to the bag whenever the bag is set down on its bottom closure. Such upward movement of the actuator rod produces movement of the leg assembly into its extended position and, when the bag is picked up, the actuator rod returns to its downwardly disposed normal position and in doing so, automatically returns the leg assembly to its retracted position.
Considerable effort has been expended in producing carry bags of minimum weight and bulk, and many of the currently available carry bags weigh about two pounds. The prior art automatic gold bag stands of the latter type discussed above, also weight about two pounds and when added to a carry bag will double the weight and add considerable bulk. Thus, these prior art bag stands are less than ideally suited for use with lightweight carry bags in that they are not in keeping with the minimized weight and bulk objectives of the lightweight carry bags.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved lightweight golf bag in combination with an automatic bag stand which is of minimum weight, bulk and complexity so as to overcome some of the shortcomings of the prior art.